Fezzikthedoor
August 27th, 2007, 09:54 AM
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Unit Strategy Review
Unit: Morsbane
Author: Fezzikthedoor (with thanks to my Sewing Circle)
With the flurry of Elven characters that will be arriving at our doors via Housemouse special delivery, it seems like a good idea to go back an examine a unit that has been much maligned in the Heroscape community as being one that sparks speculation that the designers temporarily forgot that the game is won by destroying the enemy, not by crippling them. I speak, of course, of Morsbane. “Never wound what you can’t kill”, the old saying goes, and one cannot help but think that it was crafted specifically for this elf wizard. He may be getting a boost in wave 8 with the release of Ulginesh, but what exactly is Morsbane’s place in your Army? Is the hundred points you spend to draft him ever worth it considering the more destructive units you could put into your roster for that cost? Read on, and then you decide.
Let’s take a look at the elf’s stats:
Analyzed Statistics
Cost - 100 – Knight Class Unit
Size - Medium - Vulnerable/Concealable
Life - 6 – Robust
Move - 5 – Average
Range - 1 - Close Range
Attack - 3 - Average
Defense - 2 – Poor
Rod of Negation – 20% chance to remove all abilities of unique hero or squad – subreliant; 5% chance of automatic destruction – longshot
In-Depth Analysis
Each unit is complex, and must be well analyzed to be truly understood. For Morsbane, let us begin with his cost. By cost, we refer mostly to his value in points, but also to his importance in your army. To simplify analysis, Agatagary has created several categories of cost, based off of chess, for comparison and nomenclature. For reference,
Pawn class (expendable, units that can be useful, but are not worth enormous trouble to protect)
Bishop class (more useful than a pawn, but still somewhat expendable)
Knight class (units that are interestingly powerful and can have a significant impact on the game in of themselves. It is advisable that they be kept alive, but if absolutely necessary they may be sacrificed)
Rook class (units that almost inevitably have a significant impact on the game, and whose death should be avoided as much as possible)
Queen class (devastatingly powerful or important units that should be protected at all costs)
Class:
Morsbane is a Knight Class unit who, like his archenemy, Sudema, you must be prepared to sacrifice should the situation demand it. Unlike the Undead Queen, though, his life of 6—among the highest in the game for single based heroes—will allow him to survive more risky situations than she could ever hope to. It is his Rod of Negation ability that truly propels him into the ranks of Knighthood: since you can have only up to 3 successes with this power (excluding a lucky roll of 20) it is in your best interests to keep him alive to use all three of his negation markers. Of course, he generally won’t get to use all of them, but if you have drafted him you should give him every opportunity.
To examine the Morsbane's core stats, we will break them up into two categories – offensive ability and survivability. We will start with his offense.
Offense:
With a range of just 1, Morsbane is obviously a close combat unit, though his average attack rating of 3 reveals his fighting abilities to be more defensive than offensive in nature. His normal Threat Range (Move+Range) is only 6, although the Rod of Negation increases that to 11. It is safe to say that few opponents will feel terror strike deep in their hearts from the menace of hand-to-hand with Morsbane. Still, most opponents will expect you to always hang back with him, relying solely upon the Rod of Negation ability; while this can be the primary plan, don’t neglect to take advantage of his fighting prowess and his…
Survivability:
Morsbane’s survivability is hampered by two factors: his low defense of just 2—so painfully typical to elven units—and the fear that all d20 powers inspire in an opponent. Like so many “automatic destruction” units, Morsbane’s presence on the battlefield is enough to change the tactics of an enemy, at least to a small degree. Conversely, Morsbane has two things going in his favor: first, his 6 points of life enable him to take a round or two of serious punishment…and he will take some punishment with that low defense. Secondly, while he may carry an invisible target on his back, it is not as big as the one on other units with similar abilities such as Sudema, Braxis, Dead-Eye Dan, or Grimnak. The Rod of Negation ability, while it may change the game, is often seen as nothing more than an unlikely inconvenience. Morsbane will be a priority target for your opponent, but not the priority target.
The Rod of Negation:
What really sets Morsbane apart from any other unit in the game, and probably the reason you’re thinking about drafting him, is his Rod of Negation special ability. As mentioned in the stat section, this ability gives a 5% chance of automatically destroying an enemy of any size and a 20% chance of removing all the special powers of the affected unit or squad. The former outcome is nice if triggered on a hero, less so if activated against a squad member, but is so unlikely that it should essentially be ignored (but not forgotten); the latter, however, is the elf’s bread and butter.
For most units, a subreliant ability that activates only 20% of the time is not one that you should draft a unit for, but let us be perfectly honest: there is no other reason to draft Morsbane. If you are willing to take your chances, a single roll of the twenty-sided die can change the outcome of the whole game.
Although it only works on unique figures, the Rod of Negation can target any unit within 6 clear spaces, which is a range as long as the best support auras. It may only be successfully used 3 times during the course of the game, although it may be attempted after every activation of Morsbane, at the end of his turn (Full disclosure: I played with Morsbane for the better part of eight months before a friend pointed it out to me…needless to say, my opinion of him went up after that). All these factors—the range, the limited use, and the timing of the die roll—will influence our strategy with him, and will be discussed below.
I believe we can separate Morsbane’s potential targets into three broad catagories: those that will be neutered if their powers are negated, those that will be crippled, and those that will simply be wounded.
*Neutered
These units have relatively low base stats or rely so heavily upon their special abilities that successfully using the Rod of Negation makes them essentially worthless for the rest of the game. They include, but are not limited to, units such as: Deadeye Dan, Deathwalker 7000, the Elite Onyx Vipers, Grimnak, Hatamoto Taro, Isamu, Khosumet, Krug, Mimring, the Nakita Agents, Raelin, Sudema, and Taelord. If playing a mixed Marvel/Classic game, the Red Skull would also fall into this category.
Krug is the perfect example of a Neutered unit. With an attack rating of just 2 and a defense of only 3, devoid of his Double Swing and Wounded Attack, Krug will fall quickly. In fact, Morsbane might be able to take him down himself!
*Crippled
These units have moderate base stats or are not as dependent upon their special abilities as the Neutered units. While using the Rod of Negation can be highly useful, you’ll still need to deal with them using caution and serious force. They include, but are not limited to, units such as: Agent Carr, Brunak, Concan, Crixus, Cyprein Esenwein, Deathwalkers 8000 and 9000, Gurei-Oni, Kaemon Awa, Majors Q9 and Q10, the Samurai squads, Sgt. Drake Alexander, and Sonlen. If playing a mixed Marvel/Classic game, Spider-man falls into this category.
Let me use Brunak to illustrate a Crippled unit. He still has a strong attack rating of 4, and his defense of 7 will still be difficult to pierce. He can no longer mow down your single-life squads since you have robbed him of his Blood Hungry Special Attack, though, and the other task he is often used for—carrying others—is also denied him. And let’s not forget his newfound vulnerability to lava! A Crippled unit is still a threat, but by using the Rod of Negation you have severely restricted your opponents strategic possibilities.
*Wounded
These units have high base stats and are a terror on the battlefield regardless of whether they have access to their special abilities. Using the Rod of Negation on these enemies may be a good idea depending upon the situation, but you must realize that you’re still going to have a long fight ahead of you. They include, but are not limited to, units such as: the Airborne Elite (since they will have already dropped), Charos, Jotun, Ne-Gok-Sa, Nilfheim, Sgt. Drake Alexander SOTM, Spartacus, Su-Bak-Na, and the Venoc Warlord. If playing a mixed Marvel/Classic game, every unit except for Spider-man and the Red Skull fall into this category…in other words, if the opponent has more than one Marvel Hero, it might be a good idea to leave Morsbane in the box!
Jotun is a fine example of a Wounded unit. While the loss of Wild Swing might make him more vulnerable to swarming enemies, his high life, monstrous attack rating, and fast movement insure that he can still wreck havoc on his enemies. Target these types of resilient units only when it serves a specific purpose; in this case, you may well wish to swarm Jotun without the threat of multiple casualties per turn.
Strategy:
Strategy with Morsbane starts before he has even been placed on the board, during the draft. Has your opponent already invested half his draft points into units that the Rod of Negation ability will only reduce to wounded? Has he made no effort to hide that he is going to drown you in a tidal wave of Deathreavers (oh, if only the Rod of Negation could be used on common units…) or turtle across the board on the backs of the 4th Massachusetts Line? Will you be facing down the combined green-skinned menace of the Hulk and the Abomination? If so, don’t bother with Morsbane; he will be a waste of points that are better spent elsewhere.
On the other hand, if the player across from you has selected two or three units that fall within the Crippled category a counter-draft of Morsbane might be a good idea. Even a single unit from within the Neutered category might be reason to draft the elf. If said player is building an ork horde that includes those old standbys, Mimring and Krug, it is almost a requirement.
A question that has yet to be answered is one I posed in the introduction: why take a unit that is designed to cripple instead of kill? Assuming you have the points available, most players would rather use Sudema instead of Morsbane; after all, a dead target is surely better than a live target. While it may seem impossible, the Rod of Negation is actually a superior ability to Stare of Stone, Chomp, or Sharpshooter in one very important way: its effect on Unique Squads.
What happens when you use a killing ability on, say, a Krav Maga Agent? The agent may die, but the other two remain, and are in a position to wreak more damage. What happens, then, if you use Rod of Negation on a Krav Maga Agent? Suddenly, all agents lose their protection, and are vulnerable to all attacks-rendering their primary advantage over other ranged units completely useless. What happens when you negate a Tagawa Samurai? A Ninja of the Northern Wind? A Marro Warrior? Almost all unique squad figures rely heavily on their special abilities. Without Berserker Charge, the Tarn Viking Warriors would be a predictable, slow moving rabble rather than the unpredictable annihilators that they usually are. Without Counterstrike, the Izumi Samurai are nearly useless, either as attackers or defenders.
The most important difference that Rod of Negation has to automatic destruction abilities is the fact that the Rod of Negation affects ALL units in a squad, rather than the one targeted. This "negates" many strategies, such as the one that many people like: splitting up squad members. This strategy takes advantage of the independence from each other that most unique squad figures enjoy, allowing you to severely strain enemy order initiative. Against an instant kill ability, you might be able to take out one of the squad figures, but the others would still be able to wreak havoc. If you negate the figure, however, it cripples the entire squad, regardless of where the other figures are on the board.
What does all of this mean for Morsbane? It means that he alone is perfectly poised to be a unique squad-killer, in spirit if not in function. With the Rod of Negation, Morsbane can cripple an entire unique squad in a single turn. The fact that almost all unique squads rely heavily on their abilities makes this power even worse. Here is an interesting coincidence: most armies contain one or two unique squads, and few contain more than three. It is almost as if the designers intended Morsbane to be used as an anti-unique squad figure; perhaps they did—interestingly, most unique squads (once crippled) can be easily taken out by an attack value of three.
The average Heroscape scenario has 10 full rounds, which means that you will have a total of 30 activations to divide between your army cards. If he were to survive the whole game and you were to place 1/3 of your order markers on Morsbane you should, on average, expend only two of your negation markers. Am I saying that you should use him that much? Well, that depends on the game; I simply wanted to illustrate that while it is a good idea to preserve this Knight class unit for as long as possible, unless you hit a hot streak you are unlikely to run out of negation markers. If you are close to a less than optimal target for your Rod of Negation, don’t hesitate to try it—chances are you won’t be regretting it later.
Morsbane’s Rod of Negation also happens to be rolled at a strange time compared to many other unit’s special powers. Instead of moving, trying the power, then attacking (or using the power in lieu of attacking) you instead get to move him, attack, and then target any enemy you can see, regardless of hit zone. This gives the Rod of Negation an effective range of 11 spaces, an impressive danger radius for the enemy. In addition, you can also take a swing at a pesky “tie up” unit that is within range; Morsbane’s 3 attack, while not spectacular, can certainly bludgeon the occasional squad unit into submission.
Before offering specific suggestions on how to use Morsbane, let me offer a disclaimer—unlike the accomplishments of the other hard-working authors of these strategy guides, I confess that I am unlikely to reinvent the wheel in regards to Morsbane tactics; the truth is that I will only be talking about what everyone already knows: you need to get him into position to use the Rod of Negation as often and as efficiently as possible. There are three ways to do this, and if I’m lucky I might give you one you haven’t thought of using yet.
*Pick and Choose
This is the most common way of using Morsbane. It consists of moving him to an optimal position, usually near a large engagement or a high point near the middle of the map, and leaving him to sit. Once in this roost, you place one order marker on him each round in an attempt to influence the battles raging around him. If the enemy sends a force out specifically to eliminate him he falls back behind the protection of the front lines until it is safe for him to find a new safe perch. This tactic is often used in conjunction with Brunak or Theracus, effectively increasing his deployment capability on the battlefield. Your opponent is forced to wonder, “Is that order marker on Morsbane an X or a 3?” if you moved Morsbane with Carry earlier in the round. Remember that such a bluff still places him in position for later rounds.
*Rider on the Swarm
As everyone knows, the Deathreavers are, by far, the most annoying swarm squad to face off against. With Morsbane, they become not only a nuisance but also a real threat. If you are able to tie up the enemy with a squad or two of the Deathreavers it becomes quite easy to keep them that way using the Deathreavers’ Scatter power. Since you may re-engage the enemy with the small soulborgs without having to place your unit markers on them (provided your opponent attacks them, and if not, they remain stationary in any event) you can instead focus on activating Morsbane to Negate the abilities of those engaged units. Should the enemy bring in ranged re-enforcements in the meantime, Morsbane is tough enough to take a few hits while continuing his efforts. This method of play can be used with any swarm-style unit, or can you can simply keep Morsbane in reserve as a mid-game figure who doesn’t get involved until your first wave has engaged the enemy.
*Sucker Punch
This is the riskiest way to use Morsbane, although it has been, in my experience, quite successful. Since the Rod of Negation is a special ability and not a special attack, Morsbane can be engaged with one enemy and attempt to Negate the powers of another. This has a couple of applications on the battlefield. If you are attempting to get within Rod of Negation range of a support unit or one that is generally kept on the back lines during the early or mid-game Morsbane’s high life allows him to leave an engagement without too much fear of a disengagement strike. This maneuver can catch an opponent off guard—at least the first time—and allow you a chance to change the tenor of the remaining battle. Of course, this type of risky maneuver, one that will likely leave Morsbane out on his own, should only be tried if the target is one who can be Neutered, or is so important to the overall effort of the enemy that Negating them will disrupt your foe’s battle plan.
The other application of this strategy is similar, but focuses more on ranged units. Once again, you may allow Morsbane to get tied up. Once this happens, especially if it is with a weak attack squad such as the Deathreavers or a counterstriking samurai unit, your opponent will often feel safe enough to move a unit with a ranged attack closer to take a shot. The moment he does this, either try to Negate that unit or, if necessary, disengage so that you can get close enough to do so. There is not a single unit in the game that has a range greater than 11. In other words, while they think that they were moving in to perform the coup de grâce on the distracted elf wizard, they have instead made that unit a ready target for the Rod of Negation.
Units to avoid:
Zombies of Morindan: Their status as common squads makes them immune to the Rod of Negation, and his 6 life does him almost no good with that abysmal defense of only 2. They might have to chew on him a little bit more, but in the end, Morsbane will end up as zombie food. To add insult to injury, as a medium size figure, he’ll fuel their Zombies Rise Again special ability.
Gladitrons: A common squad as well, these soulborgs will remove the Sucker Punch from your options of attack and keep you in place while ranged units abuse Morsbane’s low defense. You can fight your way out of an engagement with one, but it may take a few attempts. If the enemy is smart he’ll stay more than 6 spaces away, thereby effectively taking Morsbane out of the game.
Venoc Vipers: Yet another common squad that you cannot use Rod of Negation on, the Venoc Vipers are quick and lethal. If you are targeted by a pack of three Morsbane can be brought down in two turns, assuming they aren’t able to Frenzy. If they do, he’ll probably die in one turn.
Tagawa Samurai Archers: A ranged attack equal to his defense, counterstrike, and the inability to use the Rod of Negation on them? Yes, better to give the Tagawa Samurai Archers a wide berth.
For additional information see the Book of Morsbane (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=8409)
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Unit Strategy Review
Unit: Morsbane
Author: Fezzikthedoor (with thanks to my Sewing Circle)
With the flurry of Elven characters that will be arriving at our doors via Housemouse special delivery, it seems like a good idea to go back an examine a unit that has been much maligned in the Heroscape community as being one that sparks speculation that the designers temporarily forgot that the game is won by destroying the enemy, not by crippling them. I speak, of course, of Morsbane. “Never wound what you can’t kill”, the old saying goes, and one cannot help but think that it was crafted specifically for this elf wizard. He may be getting a boost in wave 8 with the release of Ulginesh, but what exactly is Morsbane’s place in your Army? Is the hundred points you spend to draft him ever worth it considering the more destructive units you could put into your roster for that cost? Read on, and then you decide.
Let’s take a look at the elf’s stats:
Analyzed Statistics
Cost - 100 – Knight Class Unit
Size - Medium - Vulnerable/Concealable
Life - 6 – Robust
Move - 5 – Average
Range - 1 - Close Range
Attack - 3 - Average
Defense - 2 – Poor
Rod of Negation – 20% chance to remove all abilities of unique hero or squad – subreliant; 5% chance of automatic destruction – longshot
In-Depth Analysis
Each unit is complex, and must be well analyzed to be truly understood. For Morsbane, let us begin with his cost. By cost, we refer mostly to his value in points, but also to his importance in your army. To simplify analysis, Agatagary has created several categories of cost, based off of chess, for comparison and nomenclature. For reference,
Pawn class (expendable, units that can be useful, but are not worth enormous trouble to protect)
Bishop class (more useful than a pawn, but still somewhat expendable)
Knight class (units that are interestingly powerful and can have a significant impact on the game in of themselves. It is advisable that they be kept alive, but if absolutely necessary they may be sacrificed)
Rook class (units that almost inevitably have a significant impact on the game, and whose death should be avoided as much as possible)
Queen class (devastatingly powerful or important units that should be protected at all costs)
Class:
Morsbane is a Knight Class unit who, like his archenemy, Sudema, you must be prepared to sacrifice should the situation demand it. Unlike the Undead Queen, though, his life of 6—among the highest in the game for single based heroes—will allow him to survive more risky situations than she could ever hope to. It is his Rod of Negation ability that truly propels him into the ranks of Knighthood: since you can have only up to 3 successes with this power (excluding a lucky roll of 20) it is in your best interests to keep him alive to use all three of his negation markers. Of course, he generally won’t get to use all of them, but if you have drafted him you should give him every opportunity.
To examine the Morsbane's core stats, we will break them up into two categories – offensive ability and survivability. We will start with his offense.
Offense:
With a range of just 1, Morsbane is obviously a close combat unit, though his average attack rating of 3 reveals his fighting abilities to be more defensive than offensive in nature. His normal Threat Range (Move+Range) is only 6, although the Rod of Negation increases that to 11. It is safe to say that few opponents will feel terror strike deep in their hearts from the menace of hand-to-hand with Morsbane. Still, most opponents will expect you to always hang back with him, relying solely upon the Rod of Negation ability; while this can be the primary plan, don’t neglect to take advantage of his fighting prowess and his…
Survivability:
Morsbane’s survivability is hampered by two factors: his low defense of just 2—so painfully typical to elven units—and the fear that all d20 powers inspire in an opponent. Like so many “automatic destruction” units, Morsbane’s presence on the battlefield is enough to change the tactics of an enemy, at least to a small degree. Conversely, Morsbane has two things going in his favor: first, his 6 points of life enable him to take a round or two of serious punishment…and he will take some punishment with that low defense. Secondly, while he may carry an invisible target on his back, it is not as big as the one on other units with similar abilities such as Sudema, Braxis, Dead-Eye Dan, or Grimnak. The Rod of Negation ability, while it may change the game, is often seen as nothing more than an unlikely inconvenience. Morsbane will be a priority target for your opponent, but not the priority target.
The Rod of Negation:
What really sets Morsbane apart from any other unit in the game, and probably the reason you’re thinking about drafting him, is his Rod of Negation special ability. As mentioned in the stat section, this ability gives a 5% chance of automatically destroying an enemy of any size and a 20% chance of removing all the special powers of the affected unit or squad. The former outcome is nice if triggered on a hero, less so if activated against a squad member, but is so unlikely that it should essentially be ignored (but not forgotten); the latter, however, is the elf’s bread and butter.
For most units, a subreliant ability that activates only 20% of the time is not one that you should draft a unit for, but let us be perfectly honest: there is no other reason to draft Morsbane. If you are willing to take your chances, a single roll of the twenty-sided die can change the outcome of the whole game.
Although it only works on unique figures, the Rod of Negation can target any unit within 6 clear spaces, which is a range as long as the best support auras. It may only be successfully used 3 times during the course of the game, although it may be attempted after every activation of Morsbane, at the end of his turn (Full disclosure: I played with Morsbane for the better part of eight months before a friend pointed it out to me…needless to say, my opinion of him went up after that). All these factors—the range, the limited use, and the timing of the die roll—will influence our strategy with him, and will be discussed below.
I believe we can separate Morsbane’s potential targets into three broad catagories: those that will be neutered if their powers are negated, those that will be crippled, and those that will simply be wounded.
*Neutered
These units have relatively low base stats or rely so heavily upon their special abilities that successfully using the Rod of Negation makes them essentially worthless for the rest of the game. They include, but are not limited to, units such as: Deadeye Dan, Deathwalker 7000, the Elite Onyx Vipers, Grimnak, Hatamoto Taro, Isamu, Khosumet, Krug, Mimring, the Nakita Agents, Raelin, Sudema, and Taelord. If playing a mixed Marvel/Classic game, the Red Skull would also fall into this category.
Krug is the perfect example of a Neutered unit. With an attack rating of just 2 and a defense of only 3, devoid of his Double Swing and Wounded Attack, Krug will fall quickly. In fact, Morsbane might be able to take him down himself!
*Crippled
These units have moderate base stats or are not as dependent upon their special abilities as the Neutered units. While using the Rod of Negation can be highly useful, you’ll still need to deal with them using caution and serious force. They include, but are not limited to, units such as: Agent Carr, Brunak, Concan, Crixus, Cyprein Esenwein, Deathwalkers 8000 and 9000, Gurei-Oni, Kaemon Awa, Majors Q9 and Q10, the Samurai squads, Sgt. Drake Alexander, and Sonlen. If playing a mixed Marvel/Classic game, Spider-man falls into this category.
Let me use Brunak to illustrate a Crippled unit. He still has a strong attack rating of 4, and his defense of 7 will still be difficult to pierce. He can no longer mow down your single-life squads since you have robbed him of his Blood Hungry Special Attack, though, and the other task he is often used for—carrying others—is also denied him. And let’s not forget his newfound vulnerability to lava! A Crippled unit is still a threat, but by using the Rod of Negation you have severely restricted your opponents strategic possibilities.
*Wounded
These units have high base stats and are a terror on the battlefield regardless of whether they have access to their special abilities. Using the Rod of Negation on these enemies may be a good idea depending upon the situation, but you must realize that you’re still going to have a long fight ahead of you. They include, but are not limited to, units such as: the Airborne Elite (since they will have already dropped), Charos, Jotun, Ne-Gok-Sa, Nilfheim, Sgt. Drake Alexander SOTM, Spartacus, Su-Bak-Na, and the Venoc Warlord. If playing a mixed Marvel/Classic game, every unit except for Spider-man and the Red Skull fall into this category…in other words, if the opponent has more than one Marvel Hero, it might be a good idea to leave Morsbane in the box!
Jotun is a fine example of a Wounded unit. While the loss of Wild Swing might make him more vulnerable to swarming enemies, his high life, monstrous attack rating, and fast movement insure that he can still wreck havoc on his enemies. Target these types of resilient units only when it serves a specific purpose; in this case, you may well wish to swarm Jotun without the threat of multiple casualties per turn.
Strategy:
Strategy with Morsbane starts before he has even been placed on the board, during the draft. Has your opponent already invested half his draft points into units that the Rod of Negation ability will only reduce to wounded? Has he made no effort to hide that he is going to drown you in a tidal wave of Deathreavers (oh, if only the Rod of Negation could be used on common units…) or turtle across the board on the backs of the 4th Massachusetts Line? Will you be facing down the combined green-skinned menace of the Hulk and the Abomination? If so, don’t bother with Morsbane; he will be a waste of points that are better spent elsewhere.
On the other hand, if the player across from you has selected two or three units that fall within the Crippled category a counter-draft of Morsbane might be a good idea. Even a single unit from within the Neutered category might be reason to draft the elf. If said player is building an ork horde that includes those old standbys, Mimring and Krug, it is almost a requirement.
A question that has yet to be answered is one I posed in the introduction: why take a unit that is designed to cripple instead of kill? Assuming you have the points available, most players would rather use Sudema instead of Morsbane; after all, a dead target is surely better than a live target. While it may seem impossible, the Rod of Negation is actually a superior ability to Stare of Stone, Chomp, or Sharpshooter in one very important way: its effect on Unique Squads.
What happens when you use a killing ability on, say, a Krav Maga Agent? The agent may die, but the other two remain, and are in a position to wreak more damage. What happens, then, if you use Rod of Negation on a Krav Maga Agent? Suddenly, all agents lose their protection, and are vulnerable to all attacks-rendering their primary advantage over other ranged units completely useless. What happens when you negate a Tagawa Samurai? A Ninja of the Northern Wind? A Marro Warrior? Almost all unique squad figures rely heavily on their special abilities. Without Berserker Charge, the Tarn Viking Warriors would be a predictable, slow moving rabble rather than the unpredictable annihilators that they usually are. Without Counterstrike, the Izumi Samurai are nearly useless, either as attackers or defenders.
The most important difference that Rod of Negation has to automatic destruction abilities is the fact that the Rod of Negation affects ALL units in a squad, rather than the one targeted. This "negates" many strategies, such as the one that many people like: splitting up squad members. This strategy takes advantage of the independence from each other that most unique squad figures enjoy, allowing you to severely strain enemy order initiative. Against an instant kill ability, you might be able to take out one of the squad figures, but the others would still be able to wreak havoc. If you negate the figure, however, it cripples the entire squad, regardless of where the other figures are on the board.
What does all of this mean for Morsbane? It means that he alone is perfectly poised to be a unique squad-killer, in spirit if not in function. With the Rod of Negation, Morsbane can cripple an entire unique squad in a single turn. The fact that almost all unique squads rely heavily on their abilities makes this power even worse. Here is an interesting coincidence: most armies contain one or two unique squads, and few contain more than three. It is almost as if the designers intended Morsbane to be used as an anti-unique squad figure; perhaps they did—interestingly, most unique squads (once crippled) can be easily taken out by an attack value of three.
The average Heroscape scenario has 10 full rounds, which means that you will have a total of 30 activations to divide between your army cards. If he were to survive the whole game and you were to place 1/3 of your order markers on Morsbane you should, on average, expend only two of your negation markers. Am I saying that you should use him that much? Well, that depends on the game; I simply wanted to illustrate that while it is a good idea to preserve this Knight class unit for as long as possible, unless you hit a hot streak you are unlikely to run out of negation markers. If you are close to a less than optimal target for your Rod of Negation, don’t hesitate to try it—chances are you won’t be regretting it later.
Morsbane’s Rod of Negation also happens to be rolled at a strange time compared to many other unit’s special powers. Instead of moving, trying the power, then attacking (or using the power in lieu of attacking) you instead get to move him, attack, and then target any enemy you can see, regardless of hit zone. This gives the Rod of Negation an effective range of 11 spaces, an impressive danger radius for the enemy. In addition, you can also take a swing at a pesky “tie up” unit that is within range; Morsbane’s 3 attack, while not spectacular, can certainly bludgeon the occasional squad unit into submission.
Before offering specific suggestions on how to use Morsbane, let me offer a disclaimer—unlike the accomplishments of the other hard-working authors of these strategy guides, I confess that I am unlikely to reinvent the wheel in regards to Morsbane tactics; the truth is that I will only be talking about what everyone already knows: you need to get him into position to use the Rod of Negation as often and as efficiently as possible. There are three ways to do this, and if I’m lucky I might give you one you haven’t thought of using yet.
*Pick and Choose
This is the most common way of using Morsbane. It consists of moving him to an optimal position, usually near a large engagement or a high point near the middle of the map, and leaving him to sit. Once in this roost, you place one order marker on him each round in an attempt to influence the battles raging around him. If the enemy sends a force out specifically to eliminate him he falls back behind the protection of the front lines until it is safe for him to find a new safe perch. This tactic is often used in conjunction with Brunak or Theracus, effectively increasing his deployment capability on the battlefield. Your opponent is forced to wonder, “Is that order marker on Morsbane an X or a 3?” if you moved Morsbane with Carry earlier in the round. Remember that such a bluff still places him in position for later rounds.
*Rider on the Swarm
As everyone knows, the Deathreavers are, by far, the most annoying swarm squad to face off against. With Morsbane, they become not only a nuisance but also a real threat. If you are able to tie up the enemy with a squad or two of the Deathreavers it becomes quite easy to keep them that way using the Deathreavers’ Scatter power. Since you may re-engage the enemy with the small soulborgs without having to place your unit markers on them (provided your opponent attacks them, and if not, they remain stationary in any event) you can instead focus on activating Morsbane to Negate the abilities of those engaged units. Should the enemy bring in ranged re-enforcements in the meantime, Morsbane is tough enough to take a few hits while continuing his efforts. This method of play can be used with any swarm-style unit, or can you can simply keep Morsbane in reserve as a mid-game figure who doesn’t get involved until your first wave has engaged the enemy.
*Sucker Punch
This is the riskiest way to use Morsbane, although it has been, in my experience, quite successful. Since the Rod of Negation is a special ability and not a special attack, Morsbane can be engaged with one enemy and attempt to Negate the powers of another. This has a couple of applications on the battlefield. If you are attempting to get within Rod of Negation range of a support unit or one that is generally kept on the back lines during the early or mid-game Morsbane’s high life allows him to leave an engagement without too much fear of a disengagement strike. This maneuver can catch an opponent off guard—at least the first time—and allow you a chance to change the tenor of the remaining battle. Of course, this type of risky maneuver, one that will likely leave Morsbane out on his own, should only be tried if the target is one who can be Neutered, or is so important to the overall effort of the enemy that Negating them will disrupt your foe’s battle plan.
The other application of this strategy is similar, but focuses more on ranged units. Once again, you may allow Morsbane to get tied up. Once this happens, especially if it is with a weak attack squad such as the Deathreavers or a counterstriking samurai unit, your opponent will often feel safe enough to move a unit with a ranged attack closer to take a shot. The moment he does this, either try to Negate that unit or, if necessary, disengage so that you can get close enough to do so. There is not a single unit in the game that has a range greater than 11. In other words, while they think that they were moving in to perform the coup de grâce on the distracted elf wizard, they have instead made that unit a ready target for the Rod of Negation.
Units to avoid:
Zombies of Morindan: Their status as common squads makes them immune to the Rod of Negation, and his 6 life does him almost no good with that abysmal defense of only 2. They might have to chew on him a little bit more, but in the end, Morsbane will end up as zombie food. To add insult to injury, as a medium size figure, he’ll fuel their Zombies Rise Again special ability.
Gladitrons: A common squad as well, these soulborgs will remove the Sucker Punch from your options of attack and keep you in place while ranged units abuse Morsbane’s low defense. You can fight your way out of an engagement with one, but it may take a few attempts. If the enemy is smart he’ll stay more than 6 spaces away, thereby effectively taking Morsbane out of the game.
Venoc Vipers: Yet another common squad that you cannot use Rod of Negation on, the Venoc Vipers are quick and lethal. If you are targeted by a pack of three Morsbane can be brought down in two turns, assuming they aren’t able to Frenzy. If they do, he’ll probably die in one turn.
Tagawa Samurai Archers: A ranged attack equal to his defense, counterstrike, and the inability to use the Rod of Negation on them? Yes, better to give the Tagawa Samurai Archers a wide berth.
For additional information see the Book of Morsbane (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=8409)